The fate of Coke's father, who died in a 1992 prison fire while awaiting extradition, may have been on the 41-year-old felon's mind when he asked his countrymen to pray for him during an appearance before a Jamaican judge.

The aptly-named Coke waived his right to challenge the extradition and said he was leaving his country "with a heavy heart."

"Pray for me and God bless Jamaica," Coke said in a statement read by his lawyer.

The 5-foot-4 strongman, who faces federal drug trafficking and gun running charges, was wearing a wig when he was captured Tuesday after a bloody, weeks-long manhunt.

Coke claimed he was on his way to turn himself in to the American Embassy when cops stopped his convoy - and slapped on the shackles.

His arrest came nearly a month after some 76 people were killed in a four-day gun battle between Jamaican security forces and gunmen loyal to Coke in a Kingston slum called Tivoli Gardens.

Prosecutors say Coke is the leader of a murderous drug gang known as the Shower Posse, which got its name by showering enemies with bullets - and which shipped drugs and weapons back and forth between Jamaica and New York.

Coke, who faces life in prison if convicted, was indicted last August.